ORLANDO, Fla. — The New York Giants aren’t simply playing coy on their decision.
The franchise holding the sixth overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft also, per team owner John Mara and general manager Joe Schoen, have not yet made a decision.
Will they select a quarterback in a year where the crop seems rich? If they do, how soon will they expect that quarterback to compete — and what will that mean for Daniel Jones, whose deal includes one more lucrative year and then few guarantees?
Mara says he is open to drafting a quarterback if Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll believe it’s best.
“If they fall in love with the quarterback and believe that it’s worth it at No. 6 or moving up, I certainly support that,” Mara said Monday afternoon from a boardroom at the league’s annual meeting. “All I want to make sure is that they’re both on the same page.”
Will the Giants pair a rookie first-round quarterback with Daniel Jones next season? (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Schoen and Co. are doing their homework on quarterbacks that could be available. They’re attending pro days and crunching film, while also gathering intel on how the five picks before them are likely to unfold.
The Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots share a distinction rare of the teams scheduled to select first through third in the draft.
“One through three, those teams all traded quarterbacks, and there’s a narrative out there that they may take a quarterback,” Schoen said.
Giants team owner John Mara says he’s told that this is the most talented QB class in years. So will Daniel Jones start this year?
“That’s up to Brian Daboll,” Mara said. “Is it my expectations that he’ll be the starter? Is it my best guess that he’ll be the starter? Yes.”
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) March 25, 2024
So while “nobody’s closing the door,” trade-up propositions best be lucrative. Quarterbacks abound at the top of the draft, but so are quarterback-needy teams.
The Giants, in some ways, are in a favorable position. They have Jones under contract for the next year with his rights for three, and optimism still lingers that the Jones who posted a career-best 92.5 passer rating in 2022, with a league-low 1.1% interception rating and a playoff victory, is the Jones they’ll see in 2024.
Neck injuries and a torn ACL derailed Jones’ 2023 season, offensive line injuries further decimating his chance to truly operate Daboll’s offense in their second year together.
Jones could ride another year and, in a best-case scenario, the Giants draft a quarterback and let him sit for a year the way the Kansas City Chiefs did in 2017.
“Can it be Pat Mahomes and not play one game as a rookie in an ideal situation? That would be perfect if they turn into Patrick Mahomes,” Schoen said. “It varies in situations and it is a big jump from college to the pros. So to say a guy is gonna come in and be instant coffee, that’s tough to say.”
Some news: Giants GM Joe Schoen said he got an update Friday on Daniel Jones’ recovery. The QB has progressed to running on land and throwing. While you never know if setbacks pop up later, he is currently on track to return in time for season https://t.co/wy3vXkDU9y
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) March 25, 2024
Which is why, if Jones isn’t a forever solution, the Giants could ultimately choose to draft a quarterback in the first round without making an immediate decision on Jones.
With sufficient belief in the quarterback, Mara would support that.
“I don’t want that to be interpreted as ‘Oh, we don’t have confidence in Daniel,’” Mara said. “I mean, we do have confidence in Daniel.
“But if you have a chance to bring another quarterback and the head coach and the general manager have a conviction about him, then go ahead.”
2024-03-26 00:56:00
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